Page 26 of Cowboys & Hot Sauce
"Shame about Scarlet having to rush off," he commented. "Lurline called her right after the competition. Something about an urgent meeting over at the restaurant with that Walker gal."
My head snapped up. "Bethany Sue?"
Pete nodded. "Yep. Scarlet looked mighty worried—had to borrow her brother-in-law's truck since her food truck's too big for those tight parking spots downtown."
Before I'd fully processed what I was doing, I was striding toward my truck, all careful calculations abandoned. For once in my life, I didn't need a balance sheet to tell me what to do.
The drive to Smokin' Lurline's took exactly seven minutes. I counted each one, fingers tapping against the steering wheel. The restaurant stood at the edge of Main Street, its weathered wooden sign hanging proudly above the entrance. The parking lot held only three vehicles—Lurline's ancient Buick, Bethany Sue's pristine white SUV, and Grayson's truck, which must be what Scarlet borrowed.
My heart pounded as I pushed through the door, the familiar scent of hickory smoke and spices hitting me like a welcome-home. The dining area was empty, chairs upturned ontables for the Sunday afternoon closure. Voices drifted from the back office.
I rounded the corner just as Lurline and Bethany Sue rose from their seats at a small table. Bethany Sue's smile was tight as she extended her hand to Lurline, who shook it firmly.
"I understand your position, Mrs. Landry," Bethany Sue was saying. "But should you reconsider, my offer stands until the end of the month."
Lurline nodded once. "I don't expect to change my mind, but I appreciate your interest in our little establishment."
Bethany Sue turned, her eyes widening slightly when she spotted me in the doorway. Her perfectly arranged features reset quickly. "Burke. What a surprise." Her gaze flicked over my dusty jeans and work shirt. "I was just leaving."
She brushed past me without another word, the click of her heels fading down the hallway.
Lurline settled back into her chair, those sharp blue eyes—so like Scarlet's—taking my measure. "Well, don't just stand there like a fence post, Burke Tate. Come in if you're coming in."
I stepped into the small office, removing my hat. "I heard Scarlet was meeting you here."
"She's running late." Lurline gestured to the chair Bethany Sue had vacated. "Which gives us a chance to talk."
Something in her tone made me think she wasn't entirely surprised to see me. I sat, placing my hat on my knee.
"I turned down Bethany Sue's offer," Lurline said without preamble. "In case you were wondering."
Relief washed through me. "That's... good news."
"Is it?" Lurline raised an eyebrow. "Depends on who you ask. Girl had a solid business plan. Impressive projections. Financing already in place."
"But it wouldn't be Smokin' Lurline's anymore," I said. "Not really."
A hint of a smile touched Lurline's lips. "No, it wouldn't." She leaned back in her chair, regarding me steadily. "Did you know a restaurant chain from Houston offered to bottle and distribute Scarlet's Texas Tornado sauce? Would've been quite profitable for her."
My stomach dropped like a stone in a well. "I didn't know that."
"She turned them down flat." Lurline held my gaze. "Said it would mean too much time in Houston and not enough in Sweetwater. Imagine that."
The implications sent my pulse racing. "She's planning to stay."
"Seems that way." Lurline's expression softened almost imperceptibly. "You know, I've been hard on that girl. Maybe too hard. But I see so much of myself in her—that fire, that restlessness." She sighed. "I wanted to be sure she was ready to put down roots before I handed over my life's work."
"She is," I said with more certainty than I'd felt about anything in a long time. "She's not the same person who left Sweetwater after high school. She’s grown up, matured. She knows what she wants now."
"And what about you, Burke Tate?" Lurline asked, those knowing eyes cutting straight through me. "Do you know what you want?"
The question hung in the air between us, demanding an answer I'd been avoiding for years.
"Yes, ma'am," I said. "I do."
The door chime jingled from the front of the restaurant. Lurline rose from her chair, patting my shoulder as she passed. "Good. Then it's about time you went after it, don't you think?"
She disappeared down the hallway, and moments later, Scarlet's voice carried from the front, bright with nervous energy. Their conversation was too low to make out the words, but Scarlet's exclamation of surprise and joy rang clear.
